The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.
Wake on LAN (WOL) is a well-known computer technology and has been available since the late 1990's. WOL is hardware and software that is used to “wake up” (i.e., power ON) “sleeping” (i.e., turned OFF) computer systems. WOL sends specially coded signals (i.e., a magic packet) from one machine (e.g., a host computer) to another machine (e.g., a target computer) over a wired computer network to power ON the target computer. WOL functionality allows a computer administrator to remotely power ON all of the computers on a wired network so that those machines can receive maintenance or updates, even though the users have turned OFF the computers.
WOL functionality requires that the target computer receiving the WOL signal be physically connected to a wired computer network, and that the target computer be equipped to respond to the WOL signal sent by a host computer. Consequently, WOL technology support has been incorporated into LAN on motherboard (LOM) and LAN adapter cards of mobile computers, such as notebook computers.
Mobile computer workstations are becoming commonplace in a growing population of work environments. Generally speaking, a mobile computer workstation is a transportable work platform into which a computer, such as a notebook PC, is seamlessly integrated. Such computer workstations are often specially adapted for the particular tasks and work functions in the field or industry in which they are used. For example, mobile computer workstations that are specially adapted for use in hospitals and similar medical facilities are well-known. One such mobile computer workstation is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,721,178 entitled, “Mobile Clinical Workstation” and assigned to Flo Healthcare Solutions, LLC, the assignee of the subject application. The disclosure of U.S. Pat. No. 6,721,178 is hereby incorporated herein by reference.
Typically, the computer of a mobile computer workstation is not connected to a wired network, but is configured for wireless connectivity to a LAN. Moreover, the computer is not even wirelessly connected to the LAN when the computer is powered OFF during non-use and may not be connected to the LAN when the workstation is recharging its onboard power supply. In such instances, a computer administrator responsible for managing one or more mobile computer workstations cannot take advantage of WOL functionality for performing routine tasks on the workstation computers because the computer is not wired to the network.
Thus, there remains a need for a device which provides WOL capability for a computer of a mobile computer workstation that is not connected to a network.
Additionally, because the computer of a mobile computer workstation is typically housed in a secure location on the workstation, such as in a locked compartment, the computer's power switch is not readily accessible to the workstation's user. Prior attempts to enable the user to remotely access the computer's power switch, although satisfactory for specific applications, have not proved applicable for each of the variety of computers that may be employed in a workstation. Thus, there remains a need for a device that enables user to power ON a computer that is inaccessible to the user, notwithstanding the particular computer that is used in the workstation.